Birmingham Public Library genealogy workshop schedule for November 2017 released

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Birmingham Public Library’s Southern History Department is hosting a variety of great genealogy classes during the month of November 2017, including Ancestry.com and Family Tree DNA. Plus, the BPL Archives Department is hosting two great WWI programs on Sunday, Nov. 12 and Tuesday, Nov. 14.

Also, Southern History is making one major change to its 2018 Beyond the Basics of Genealogy workshop schedule, switching all workshops to Sunday afternoons. Two well-known genealogists, Donna Cox Baker and Frazine K. Taylor, will be special guests, sharing the Beyond Kin project. Beyond Kin is featured in the November issue of “Alabama Heritage.”

Below is a listing of upcoming workshops Southern History Department will be hosting. Workshops are free of charge, but registration is requested. To register, contact the Southern History Department of the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3665 or askgenlocal@bham.lib.al.us.

Thursday, Nov. 2, 6-7 p.m., Irondale Public Library

Ancestry.com-Participants will be introduced to the Ancestry.com Library Edition database in which you can research your family history as well as learn how to search this database to locate your ancestors. For more information or directions, please call the Irondale Public Library at 205-951-1415.

Monday, Nov. 6, 10-11 a.m., Vestavia Hills Library

Ancestry.com-Participants will be introduced to the Ancestry.com Library Edition database in which you can research your family history as well as learn how to search this database to locate your ancestors. For more information or directions, please call the Vestavia Hills Library at 205-978-0155.

World War I and the Making of the Modern Middle East with Dr. Annalise J.K. DeVries, Samford University

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 10-11 a.m., Bessemer Public Library

Family Tree DNA Services and Website-Explore the offerings of Family Tree DNA, a company that offers hundreds of different DNA tests and that supports them with the most detailed website in the industry. For more information or directions, please call the Bessemer Public Library at 205-428-7882.

Introduction to Genealogy- Want to learn how to do genealogical research? Come to this introductory class that will help get you started on your genealogical journey.

Announcing our Beyond the Basics of Genealogy workshop schedule for 2018The Beyond Kin Project: Making the Slave Connection- Feb. 25 at 2:30 p.m.
Project cofounders Donna Cox Baker and Frazine K. Taylor will teach a software method and research techniques for handling the unique complexities of plantation genealogy. Descendants of both slaveholders and enslaved persons will learn how to find and account for the under documented and often nameless plantation members using common genealogy tools.

Nosing Around in Newspapers- March 25 at 2:30 p.m.
Newspapers can be a genealogist’s best friend with the wealth of information found within its pages, but also a frustrating source. Learn how to locate the newspapers you need and how to efficiently search them to discover everything from an obituary to a scandalous news story involving your ancestor.

About the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)
For additional information about the programs and services of the Birmingham Public Library, visit our website at www.bplonline.org and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BPL. The mission of Birmingham Public Library is to provide the highest quality library experience to our community for life-long learning, cultural enrichment, and enjoyment. This system—with 19 locations and serving the community for 130 years—is one of the largest library systems in the southeast.